Irreverent Testimony

Another Friggin Republican Debate

We may need a kickstarter for therapy or medication costs if we have to sit through too many more of these. Booze helps. Anyway... Trump says bla bla and Cruz said some crap and Jeb! mumbled and... sigh.. seriously. not sure how many more of these we have in us. Talking about it was definitely more enjoyable than watching it. Listening to us talk about it is probably a whole lot better too. So... enjoy!

Recall JoAnn Windholz with Steve Cohn

The IT team has now officially gone beyond mere podcasting, and we have started a political movement. Rachel and I have linked up with fellow local Denver-area activists Steve Cohn and Naomi Bigwood (who coincidentally at the same time as us, decided to start a recall movement). On this podcast, we discuss Rep. Windholz's comments, and why they have spurred us into action. We have begun a political committee to recall Rep. Windholz, and the national media has begun to cover it. 

We're all in, IT listeners. Why not join us?

Links:

http://www.recalljoannwindholz.com/

https://www.gofundme.com/RecallWindholz

https://www.facebook.com/RecallJoAnnWindholz

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1072730376094003/

In the news:

 http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/republican-faces-recall-after-saying-the-real-culprit-in-colorado-mass-shooting-is-planned-parenthood/

http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/aurora-state-rep-windholz-now-faced-with-recall-after-saying-planned-parenthood-responsible-for-deadly-shooting/

Talking politics with Dr. Rebecca Gordon

Today, Rachel and I are happy to have Rebecca Gordon, professor of Ethics in the Philosophy dept. at the University of San Francisco, as a guest on the podcast. Dr. Gordon is also a published author, who's recent article on corruption within the U.S. government/military industrial complex certainly caught our attention. She is also a former community organizer, social science research associate, criminal justice reform advocate, and philanthropic/social justice organizer in war-torn Nicaragua and Apartheid-era South Africa. In short, she's a progressive super bad-ass, and we are honored to discuss the current state of politics, trying to keep America from losing it's ethical foundation amidst the newest wave of terrorism paranoia, and how to get young people involved in the political process, among other prescient topics. 

Required Reading for all IT listeners:

Mainstreaming Torture: Ethical Approaches in the Post-9/11 United States

American Nuremberg: The U.S. Officials Who Should Stand Trial for Post-9/11 War Crimes

More on Dr. Gordon and some of her recent articles, via The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/authors/rebecca-gordon/

After Paris..

Our first episode after the Paris attacks. Sorry it's been a while, but we make up for it with some important facts and, as usual, cunning insights. In the days...well, now weeks since the attacks in Paris, we've seen knee-jerk overreactions, anti-immigrant votes based on speculation and fear, and pandering to racists. And that's just certain Democratic members of Congress. The reaction from GOP presidential hopefuls is.. well, what you'd expect Basically, nauseating and as neo-Fascist as you can get without calling it that. Which leads in to another topic, the "PC police" that conservatives decry now seem to apply only to domestic right-wing terrorists. Oh yea, they're still out there too. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hate mail address is now working: irreverenttestimony@gmail.com

My story on under-the-radar right wing church/synagogue bombing plot foiled earlier this month: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/21/1452985/-Meanwhile-less-than-2-weeks-ago-the-FBI-broke-up-a-terrorist-plot-right-here-in-the-U-S

2d GOP "Economics" Debate flash reactions

These are getting harder and harder to sit through while keeping our sanity. Dana watched with us but bailed. So Rachel and I tried our best to navigate the endless sea of double-talk, self-contradiction, and outright baffling lunacy. Did you know that the 2011 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau caused the 2008 Financial Crisis? This time travel paradox plot brought to you by Carly Fiorina, with accompanying propaganda commercial included. 

Seriously, we deserve a god damn fruit basket for enduring this for you guys. 

Democratic First in the South Forum Town Hall Debate something..

So, tonight was the Democratic Presidential Forum First to South Carolina something debate-ish (but not really a debate thingy) hosted by Rachel Maddow. And it was basically a glorified Maddow interview of all 3 remaining Democratic candidates. And my god, what a relief it was as compared to every other debate thus far. And, since everyone else is out of town, I (Trav) decided to talk to myself for an hour about it, as well as Ben Carson's very bad, horrible, no-good day; Wherein he declared himself King of Sweden and undisputed ruler of the Crab People, while claiming he once ate an entire leather sofa and ottoman on a dare.... angrily disputing any who doubted such claims. 

Election Night Round-up

It's Election Night! Oh wait.. you didn't even know, did you? Ok, it's an off-year, but there was some important stuff on the ballot, and some good news here in Denver, which we'll tell you all about. As for the rest of the country.. some good, some bad, but a big improvement over this time in 2014. We also catch up on the GOP House mess and the ongoing post CNBC GOP debate temper tantrum, which has now led to... something? 

GOP debate flash reactions

Well, they were just up the road in Boulder, and what a night it was. Circular logic, stunning mendacity, and incessant crying about the CNBC moderators. Everything the GOP base will love. We did have a bit to drink but held it together in general way better than after the Dem debate. Thanks Trump for insisting the spectacle be contained within 2 hours. 30 mins or so more of this and we would have needed much more than alcohol to keep our sanity. See what we endure do for you, listeners?

Operation Smear Hillary = fail. What did you expect, assholes?

Well, WE expected a partisan clownshow, and that's exactly what we got. In fact, The House Select Committee cranked up the bullshit way past 11, to the 11 hour mark in fact, and the result is basically what we expected. An overall boost for HRC's presidential campaign, and some good fundraising fodder for the GOP grand inquisitors who made asses of themselves. What was the point of this again? I don't know. Buy some gold and send away for Huckabee's miracle diabetes cure, I guess, dad. (I'm sure he was fist pumping a lot yesterday).

Update on stuff.. Paul Ryan - House savior? Joe Biden - running on the Sympathy for Dick Cheney ticket?

There's some stuff happening. And this time, Rach and I are (mostly) sober to discuss the latest movement in the polls since the Dem debate, update on GOP House madness, and Hillary preps to further humiliate the Benghazi "Committee." Also, Joe Biden is working some kind of angle apparently, and hell if we can make any sense of it. We also get into the big night for Liberals (ish) in Canada last night and the issues states are having with finding drugs to kill prisoners.